Real ID requirements in effect today

[Lewisc]

Conspiracy doom and gloom people suggest always using your passport instead of your DL. Your DL, unlike your passport, lists your home address. People could memorize your home address. Your home could be robbed while you were on your flight

 

[Genie+]

Someone mentioned earlier that the expiring passport part is more or less contingent on time meaning it's not a hard rule for eternity. People may not have realized but under normal conditions (meaning pre-REAL deadline date) a passport expired within 12 months could be used for ID verification at TSA (was not able to be used for pre-check qualifying though), obviously not for flying international but rather your verification of who you are. In this case it's basically a temporary allowance to use an expired passport for ID verification of up to 2 years expired.

Yeah, they’re only currently accepted and TSA strongly encourages checking back before travel. It seems helpful to people who for whatever reason have someone in their travel party non-compliant with Real ID, that in a pinch there may be some form of ID they assumed wouldn’t help but will work for now.

 

[Lewisc]

Enhanced DL have a flag instead of a star

Corrected to say it will have a flag and might have a star

 

[lanejudy]

What drives me crazy are the reports that state that an Enhanced ID is not a Real ID.

Every report on this all state that a Real ID can be identified with a star in the upper corner. Enhanced ID's have that star in the corner, so yes, Enhanced ID is a Real ID, but with more power.

I was so scared the first time I drove to Canada with(2019) it that I brought my passport card just in case, but it the Enhanced ID worked like a charm!

An Enhanced ID / Enhanced Driver's License is only available in 5 states. Sometimes it only has a flag not a star, sometimes both, but yes as PP mentioned it is REAL ID compliant though not technically a "REAL ID" which is the non-enhanced equivalent. You are correct that the EID/EDL allows one cross a land border while a REAL ID does not.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah, they’re only currently accepted and TSA strongly encourages checking back before travel. It seems helpful to people who for whatever reason have someone in their travel party non-compliant with Real ID, that in a pinch there may be some form of ID they assumed wouldn’t help but will work for now.

They really do seem like they are trying to be understanding and giving some leeway, it's worth mentioning like you did about it

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Enhanced DL have a flag instead of a star

Looking it up Michigan also has a star on it (newer ones will automatically have it older ones will renew with it on it). Vermont has a star as well although the flag (according to their DMV) is also right next to it.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I did find it odd that the fee schedule places the highest fee for 17 to 17-1/2. I can't imagine a rationale for why the highest fee should be at that age range. What might make sense would be the highest at age 16.

Probably has to do with that age group being statically the most dangerous drivers (insurance is high too). The earliest you can get a learner’s permit in NY is 16. The earliest you can get a junior license is 16 ½. And the earliest for a full license is 17. So 17-17 ½ is the first 6 months for many new drivers, unsupervised and unrestricted.

It's also a bit odd where the learner's permit is available at age 16. Most states allow it 6 months to a year before the minimum age for a driver license. One case I looked up is Oregon, where the learner's permit is available at age 15, a driver license at age 16, and the permit has to have been for at least 6 months eligibility for the driving test. Unless one is at least 18 when ready for the driving test, where it's 3 months.

NY also requires that you have a learner’s permit for at least 6 months (under 18) and a minimum of 50 hours practice driving time before scheduling a road test (which can take another 3-5 weeks, or longer during busy times).

 

[AppleDumpling]

What drives me crazy are the reports that state that an Enhanced ID is not a Real ID.

Every report on this all state that a Real ID can be identified with a star in the upper corner. Enhanced ID's have that star in the corner, so yes, Enhanced ID is a Real ID, but with more power.

I was so scared the first time I drove to Canada with(2019) it that I brought my passport card just in case, but it the Enhanced ID worked like a charm!

Well it's technically not a REAL ID but it is REAL ID compliant, same as a passport or the other IDs are REAL ID compliant IDs but are not actually REAL IDs.

I do agree with the star part in the sense that a lot of focus was on the star but I think people will want to keep in mind that's really good information for people who live in the vast majority of the states that don't have Enhanced IDs as it's the biggest and main indicator visually speaking for people to see if their existing ID is REAL ID or not. At the same time I agree that TSA (and other people who have to check for appropriate ID) should not rely upon that star as a means to give the okay or not okay.

The Enhanced ID requires the same documents required for Real ID, so they are essentially the same.

Enhanced DL have a flag instead of a star

Don’t know about other states, but this is true for New York. There is an American flag in the upper right corner, no star. What’s worse is that there’s an older version of the NY Enhanced ID (which DS got), which has the flag at the bottom. My fear is that some TSA agents outside of NY may not be familiar with it, if they are mainly trained to look for a star.


Current NY Enhanced ID


Old version of NY Enhanced ID, issued prior to March 2022.


NY Real ID

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The Enhanced ID requires the same documents required for Real ID, so they are essentially the same.

The PP took objection to it being said in the news that an enhanced id isn't a real id, that is accurate to say that. But it is an acceptable and compliant ID. Same as your passport would be and the multiple other documents that are under the list. No one would confuse saying a passport or passport card is a real ID so a clarification of whether an enhanced ID is or isn't one is perfectly acceptable.

As far as requiring the same documentation I'd have to look up the 5 states that have them and if there are differing documentation requirements but for the point of the conversation that does not matter. It's not about not understanding what the person has to provide to obtain an enhanced DL/ID, it was about a rebuttal to "What drives me crazy are the reports that state that an Enhanced ID is not a Real ID."

Department of Homeland Security words it as "alternative to a REAL ID"

 

[DonMacGregor]

We just scanned our passports into the Clear app about a year ago. Problem solved in 30 seconds. We just came back from WDW, and my adult son's DL expires at the end of this month (wife and I now have Real ID's), so he's been procrastinating and still has his old CA DL. Breezed through the Clear/PreCheck line last night in about 2 minutes flat.

 

[bcla]

My state does mention on their DMV page about SSN or post offices and other courts don't require ID to enter and thus won't require REAL IDs.

Amtrak may require ID to match the name on a ticket (or to purchase a ticket or other in-person transactions), but as far as I know they don't restrict acceptable forms to just those accepted by the TSA or to enter federal buildings.

https://www.amtrak.com/passenger-identification

But they have a weird relationship where they're not technically government (except for Amtrak Police) but are wholly owned by the federal government as a for-profit corporation.

 

[AppleDumpling]

The PP took objection to it being said in the news that an enhanced id isn't a real id, that is accurate to say that. But it is an acceptable and compliant ID. Same as your passport would be and the multiple other documents that are under the list. No one would confuse saying a passport or passport card is a real ID so a clarification of whether an enhanced ID is or isn't one is perfectly acceptable.

Okay sure, but the point is that an EDL is equivalent to a Real ID for all purposes (with EDL having an additional benefit). Both function primarily as a Driver’s License. They look identical except for a few small details (photos above). A passport is a different document.

 

[bcla]

The PP took objection to it being said in the news that an enhanced id isn't a real id, that is accurate to say that. But it is an acceptable and compliant ID. Same as your passport would be and the multiple other documents that are under the list. No one would confuse saying a passport or passport card is a real ID so a clarification of whether an enhanced ID is or isn't one is perfectly acceptable.

The requirements are generally different for different forms, although it looks like they've matched the Real ID documentation requirements in most states. It used to be that the ability to receive the driver license in the mail was proof of address. I remember California tried to use the receipt of a license/ID in the mail as one of the two required proof of address "forms" but the federal government said it wasn't sufficient. I also had a change of address for my last Real ID driver license and I was told I didn't need to provide a new proof of address to maintain Real ID.

But a lot of this is just security theater. I can obtain a passport and/or passport card that's mailed to any address of my choosing. I know people who picked up an expedited passport in person. The State Department doesn't check documents (e.g. utility bills or credit card statements) for the address, which is a basic requirement for getting an initial Real ID DL or ID.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Amtrak may require ID to match the name on a ticket (or to purchase a ticket or other in-person transactions), but as far as I know they don't restrict acceptable forms to just those accepted by the TSA or to enter federal buildings.

https://www.amtrak.com/passenger-identification

But they have a weird relationship where they're not technically government (except for Amtrak Police) but are wholly owned by the federal government as a for-profit corporation.

Yeah...I don't think my state's DMV is going to be going for amtrak as an example of where a place normally checks ID to enter. They were just trying to give examples of where people might think they need an ID because it's a government building but they don't. Your ticket matching your ID is needed for a whole slew of things but isn't the same conversation. It would be like in order to even enter an Amtrak station you had to show an acceptable ID.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The requirements are generally different for different forms, although it looks like they've matched the Real ID documentation requirements in most states. It used to be that the ability to receive the driver license in the mail was proof of address. I remember California tried to use the receipt of a license/ID in the mail as one of the two required proof of address "forms" but the federal government said it wasn't sufficient. I also had a change of address for my last Real ID driver license and I was told I didn't need to provide a new proof of address to maintain Real ID.

But a lot of this is just security theater. I can obtain a passport and/or passport card that's mailed to any address of my choosing. I know people who picked up an expedited passport in person. The State Department doesn't check documents (e.g. utility bills or credit card statements) for the address, which is a basic requirement for getting an initial Real ID DL or ID.

The PP is talking about Enhanced DL/ID with what information is needed comparing that to REAL ID. They are not comparing normal ID vs REAL ID.

 

[bcla]

An Enhanced ID / Enhanced Driver's License is only available in 5 states. Sometimes it only has a flag not a star, sometimes both, but yes as PP mentioned it is REAL ID compliant though not technically a "REAL ID" which is the non-enhanced equivalent. You are correct that the EID/EDL allows one cross a land border while a REAL ID does not.

The way to spot it is that it say "ENHANCED". But whoever is charged with checking documents will probably have seen samples to know what to look for. I've heard of at least one guide on IDs. I've heard this one is commonly used by bartenders.

https://www.driverslicenseguide.com/id-checking-guide.html

 

[lanejudy]

The way to spot it is that it say "ENHANCED".

Yes it says “enhanced” but it also has a flag instead of, or in addition to, the star.